Minn. Building Explosion Claims Third Victim

Jan. 04--A third person has died from an explosion that gutted a building in Minneapolis' Cedar-Riverside neighborhood on New Year's Day.

Abdiqani Adan, 29, died from "complications of injuries sustained in a building fire," the Hennepin County medical examiner said Saturday afternoon. Adan died Friday afternoon at the Hennepin County Medical Center, the medical examiner said. He was not a resident of 516 Cedar Ave., the three-story brick building with a first-floor grocery store that burst into flames early Wednesday morning.

Thirteen others were injured in the fire.

Christine Hill, spokeswoman for HCMC, said Saturday afternoon the hospital has two patients in critical condition and five in satisfactory condition.

Two people had been reported as missing in the hours after the disaster. The body of Ahmed Ali, 57, was discovered Thursday.

The remains of a second victim were found about 10 a.m. Friday. The body was taken to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office for identification. Friends and family said the body was Mrimri Farah, about 60.

Minneapolis Fire Department officials said they believed the two bodies recovered were the only fatalities.

Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel said there had been reports of a gas odor before the explosion. Those accounts -- coupled with the nature of the damage -- are leading investigators to suspect that natural gas caused the blast.